Hi guys
I am trying to get through a practical assessment and would like some advice if possible! I am building a program for my sister who was previously an intermediate exerciser averaging 3 workouts a week for about a year. She hasnt done any exercise (bar walking the dog!) since December.
The program is for 3 times a week to re-establish previous levels of fitness/strength. Your feedback would be appreciated.
CV - 30 mins split over 2 machines (she gets bored easily!) incl warm up , increasing intensity and cool down (possible interval program on machines)

Please note i am restricted in that i must choose 6 exercises (3 free wieight and 3 fixed machine) from a list given. I must also demonstrate spotting technique on one free weight dumbbell exercise and one free weight dumbbell exercise.

So my question really is are the RT exercises i have chosen pretty well balanced in that they cover the major muscle groups and i have agonist/antagonist pairs??

Most people do cardio after weights. Weight training uses the body's glycogen stores for fuel. Cardio burns some glycogen initially, but after 15-20 minutes it starts to burn mostly fat. By depleting the glycogen stores first by doing weight training, you hasten the time cardio goes to fat burning.

Some people, though, like to do 5 - 10 minutes of light cardio as a warm-up before exercising.

Lat pulldown works pretty different muscles than seated row, so it's hard to say which is 'better'.

Quote:

Please note i am restricted in that i must choose 6 exercises (3 free wieight and 3 fixed machine) from a list given. I must also demonstrate spotting technique on one free weight dumbbell exercise and one free weight dumbbell exercise.

Thanks for your input guys....the assignment is kind of like homework i guess in that i am studying for my fitness instructor qualification and it s part of a practical assessment i have to plan and instruct!

So in your opinion is the lat pulldown better for the 'general population' beginner/intermediate or the seated row?!

Sorry but i have heard such different reactions i am getting confused!

If you have to pick 1, bent over barbell rows are the best back exercise.
I would do these 6.
chest press (dumbbell spot)
barbell bent over row
lateral raise machine
squat (barbell spot)
leg curl machine
lat pulldown
cardio after of course.

This is far from optimal, but the best that can be done with the given restrictions.

Whatever you do Jessica, please give the swiss ball a rest. Don't have people do jumping jacks between sets. No standing on those silly rubber things either. That makes me nervous, it looks like they are going to fall down. I hate it when they do that near me. Don't let them lift off the bench when they bench press either. Above all, for the love of God, no matter how much they whine, don't let them do leg press with a pair of 25 lb plates. I think Stephen Hawking loads more then that on leg press. haha :)
Really though if someone can't do 90 on a 45 degree sled, how do they walk? Maybe it's just the trainers at my gym, who knows. Good luck and remember the iron is your friend.

Thanks for your input guys....the assignment is kind of like homework i guess in that i am studying for my fitness instructor qualification and it s part of a practical assessment i have to plan and instruct!

So in your opinion is the lat pulldown better for the 'general population' beginner/intermediate or the seated row?!

Sorry but i have heard such different reactions i am getting confused!

JEssica.x

Hi Jessica. Looks like you're getting good advice, so I'm just going to address your question of lat pull vs seated row. Well, the back is very complex, and provides for a multitude of functions, i.e, keep the erectors upright, shoulder girdle elevation, scapula retraction, to name just a few of the major ones. To cover all that, you need exercises to address the specific movements. Comparing lat pulls. cjins/pullups to rows are like comparing apples to oranges, although some of the target muscles do overlap. IMHO,use both, or at least alternate them session to session.
Tim

Building on what Tim D wrote about back training, rows tend to use the shoulder extension while pulldowns use shoulder adduction. The other articulation involving the back is transverse extension. All of them should be exercised at one point or another, although doing more than two in a workout is probably overkill

Jessica - no, specific targeting of biceps is not necessary...especially given that you have to pick only 6 exercises. They will get adequate work from rowing. In fact by excluding bicep curls, itll probably make you look really smart! I would choose:

Thanks for your help guys - much appreciated. I might swap the lat pulldown for a seated row but i deliberately sleft out the back squats cos she has knee problems. I also thought about doing the seated shoulder press but as the quads werent targeted with sqauts i needed an exercise to target this and the only way i could fit it in was with machine leg press. Is the shoulder press a much better option than the lat raise then?

Also just out of interest is DB chest press better than DB chest flyes? I always find i feel more like i have worked out when i do flyes - perhaps a female thing too cos we cant acrtually build the chest out!

Well if you are only doing 1 of the 2, then doing the dumbell press is always the better choice over flyes. Flyes are something you would do after already benching...its not a stand alone chest exercise.

The numbers to the left are the order id say go in. I put in leg press now since you wanted to leave out squat. One thing to remember though is that machine leg exercises will never be as good as the squats or deadlifts are.

I also replaced the shoulder press with the lat raise, since the dumbell press gives the front delts work as an accessory muscle. This way you now have all 3 parts of the delts being worked (the seated row hits the rear delts)

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